SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q
(Mark One)
ýQUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended March 31,September 30, 2018
  
OR
oTRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from               to            

Commission File Number 001-33166
algtheaderq417a03.jpg
Allegiant Travel Company
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Nevada20-4745737
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)(IRS Employer Identification No.)
  
1201 North Town Center Drive 
Las Vegas, Nevada89144
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)(Zip Code)
Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: (702) 851-7300

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes ý  No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).  Yes ý  No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer  x
Accelerated filer  o
  
Non-accelerated filer  o
Smaller reporting company  o
  
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
Emerging growth company  o
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).  Yes o  No ý

The number of shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding as of the close of business on May 1,October 26, 2018 was 16,148,889.16,159,816.


Allegiant Travel Company
Form 10-Q
Table of Contents

PART I.FINANCIAL INFORMATION 
   
ITEM 1.
   
ITEM 2.
   
ITEM 3.
   
ITEM 4.
   
PART II.OTHER INFORMATION 
   
ITEM 1.
   
ITEM 1A.
   
ITEM 2.
   
ITEM 3.
   
ITEM 4.
   
ITEM 5.
   
ITEM 6.
   
 


PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Consolidated Financial Statements

ALLEGIANT TRAVEL COMPANY
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands)

March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017
(unaudited)  (unaudited)  
CURRENT ASSETS:   
CURRENT ASSETS   
Cash and cash equivalents$50,777
 $59,449
$140,752
 $59,449
Restricted cash12,370
 11,190
20,317
 11,190
Short-term investments341,262
 352,681
284,616
 352,681
Accounts receivable64,344
 71,057
33,672
 71,057
Expendable parts, supplies and fuel, net18,335
 17,647
23,790
 17,647
Prepaid expenses27,941
 23,931
30,640
 23,931
Other current assets1,776
 5,320
129
 5,320
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS516,805
 541,275
533,916
 541,275
Property and equipment, net1,635,821
 1,512,415
1,816,805
 1,512,415
Long-term investments85,659
 78,570
53,353
 78,570
Deferred major maintenance, net33,321
 31,326
44,402
 31,326
Deposits and other assets17,359
 16,571
32,019
 16,571
TOTAL ASSETS$2,288,965
 $2,180,157
CURRENT LIABILITIES:   
TOTAL ASSETS:$2,480,495
 $2,180,157
CURRENT LIABILITIES   
Accounts payable$29,801
 $20,108
$17,299
 $20,108
Accrued liabilities119,448
 105,127
110,705
 105,127
Air traffic liability256,773
 204,299
231,731
 204,299
Current maturities of notes payable and capital leases, net of related costs154,850
 214,761
Current maturities of long-term debt and capital lease obligations, net of related costs654,697
 214,761
TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES560,872
 544,295
1,014,432
 544,295
Long-term debt and capital leases, net of current maturities and related costs984,926
 950,131
Long-term debt and capital lease obligations, net of current maturities and related costs658,352
 950,131
Deferred income taxes131,647
 119,013
140,555
 119,013
Other noncurrent liabilities11,716
 13,407
14,160
 13,407
TOTAL LIABILITIES:1,689,161
 1,626,846
1,827,499
 1,626,846
SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY:   
SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY   
Common stock, par value $.00123
 23
23
 23
Treasury stock(607,888) (605,655)(607,649) (605,655)
Additional paid in capital259,225
 253,840
266,907
 253,840
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net(3,959) (2,840)(1,227) (2,840)
Retained earnings952,403
 907,943
994,942
 907,943
TOTAL EQUITY599,804
 553,311
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY$2,288,965
 $2,180,157
TOTAL EQUITY:652,996
 553,311
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY:$2,480,495
 $2,180,157
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.


ALLEGIANT TRAVEL COMPANY
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
 (unaudited)

Three Months Ended March 31,Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2018 20172018 2017 2018 2017
OPERATING REVENUE:          
Passenger revenue$396,771
 $347,836
$355,100
 $315,308
 $1,157,443
 $1,030,395
Third party products10,325

12,742
15,921

12,348
 44,045
 39,394
Fixed fee contract revenue10,556
 11,259
14,791
 11,831
 33,000
 34,120
Other revenue7,792
 8,174
7,297
 10,708
 20,845
 28,140
Total operating revenue425,444
 380,011
393,109
 350,195
 1,255,333
 1,132,049
OPERATING EXPENSES:          
Aircraft fuel106,027
 84,662
113,525
 80,421
 342,006
 250,470
Salary and benefits112,963
 96,298
97,706
 88,788
 312,314
 277,307
Station operations37,584
 31,832
43,128
 37,148
 122,265
 107,979
Maintenance and repairs19,270
 30,095
31,983
 28,870
 75,864
 87,611
Depreciation and amortization28,149
 30,549
34,658
 31,894
 92,641
 92,571
Sales and marketing19,078
 13,331
16,798
 13,884
 54,224
 40,707
Aircraft lease rentals21
 164
671
 533
 767
 3,098
Other22,384
 19,351
28,459
 24,315
 74,881
 68,440
Total operating expenses345,476
 306,282
366,928
 305,853
 1,074,962
 928,183
OPERATING INCOME79,968
 73,729
26,181
 44,342
 180,371
 203,866
OTHER (INCOME) EXPENSE:          
Interest expense12,724
 8,401
14,309
 10,041
 40,188
 27,332
Interest income(1,907) (1,264)(2,425) (1,454) (6,259) (4,193)
Other, net(240) (360)(118) (400) (408) (1,254)
Total other expense10,577
 6,777
11,766
 8,187
 33,521
 21,885
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES69,391
 66,952
14,415
 36,155
 146,850
 181,981
PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES14,198
 24,601
(732) 12,771
 26,494
 67,208
NET INCOME$55,193
 $42,351
$15,147
 $23,384
 $120,356
 $114,773
Earnings per share to common shareholders:          
Basic$3.43
 $2.54
$0.94
 $1.45
 $7.46
 $7.00
Diluted$3.42
 $2.54
$0.94
 $1.45
 $7.45
 $6.99
Shares used for computation:          
Basic15,889
 16,382
15,957
 15,852
 15,929
 16,142
Diluted15,898
 16,405
15,962
 15,862
 15,938
 16,160
          
Cash dividends declared per share:$0.70
 $0.70
$0.70
 $0.70
 $2.10
 $2.10

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.


ALLEGIANT TRAVEL COMPANY
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(in thousands)
(unaudited)
 
Three Months Ended March 31,Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2018 20172018 2017 2018 2017
Net income$55,193
 $42,351
$15,147
 $23,384
 $120,356
 $114,773
Other comprehensive (loss) income: 
  
Other comprehensive income (loss): 
  
    
Change in available for sale securities, net of tax(956) 225
(83) 230
 (926) 453
Foreign currency translation adjustments101
 (83)4
 (117) 218
 (416)
Change in derivatives, net of tax(135) (215)1,325
 (368) 2,321
 (1,452)
Reclassification of derivative gains into Other revenue(129) (289)
Total other comprehensive loss(1,119) (362)
Total other comprehensive income (loss)1,246
 (255) 1,613
 (1,415)
TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE INCOME$54,074
 $41,989
$16,393
 $23,129
 $121,969
 $113,358

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.


ALLEGIANT TRAVEL COMPANY
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands)
(unaudited)

Three Months Ended March 31,Nine Months Ended September 30,
2018 20172018 2017
OPERATING ACTIVITIES:      
Net income$55,193
 $42,351
$120,356
 $114,773
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:      
Depreciation and amortization28,149
 30,549
92,641
 92,571
(Gain) loss on aircraft and other equipment disposals(132) 2,548
2,274
 6,619
Provision for obsolescence of expendable parts, supplies and fuel586
 830
Amortization of deferred financing costs494
 365
Share-based compensation expense3,796
 4,349
11,043
 10,847
Deferred income taxes12,735
 2,508
21,760
 64,788
Other adjustments1,833
 3,959
Changes in certain assets and liabilities:      
Decrease in accounts receivable6,713
 23,162
Increase in prepaid expenses(4,439) (8,917)
Increase in accounts payable9,959
 9,394
(Increase) decrease in accounts receivable38,005
 17,709
(Increase) decrease in prepaid expenses(6,709) (8,825)
Increase (decrease) in accounts payable(2,437) 3,671
Increase (decrease) in accrued liabilities14,267
 (10,561)5,960
 (11,183)
Increase in air traffic liability52,474
 50,078
Increase (decrease) in air traffic liability27,432
 27,688
Change in deferred major maintenance(4,476) (1,504)(21,699) (14,779)
Other, net(2,392) 1,405
Other assets/liabilities(336) (5,756)
Net cash provided by operating activities172,927
 146,557
290,123
 302,082
INVESTING ACTIVITIES:      
Purchase of investment securities(93,933) (146,625)(263,057) (273,796)
Proceeds from maturities of investment securities97,224
 79,381
355,325
 239,920
Purchase of property and equipment, including capitalized interest(69,167) (58,536)(273,999) (333,746)
Other investing activities521
 382
(5,399) 1,338
Net cash used in investing activities(65,355) (125,398)(187,130) (366,284)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES:      
Cash dividends paid to shareholders(11,295) (11,671)(33,919) (34,462)
Proceeds from the issuance of debt
 22,000
191,724
 292,540
Repurchase of common stock(2,233) (4,923)(3,617) (90,445)
Principal payments on debt and capital lease obligations(102,914) (26,425)(171,438) (88,026)
Other financing activities1,378
 (513)4,687
 (405)
Net cash used in financing activities(115,064) (21,532)
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities(12,563) 79,202
Net change in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash(7,492) (373)90,430
 15,000
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH AT BEGINNING OF PERIOD70,639
 76,358
70,639
 76,358
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH AT END OF PERIOD$63,147
 $75,985
$161,069
 $91,358
      
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION:      
CASH PAYMENTS FOR:      
Interest paid, net of amount capitalized$17,902
 $14,080
$43,751
 $31,733
Income taxes paid, net of refunds$37
 $374
Income tax refunds$41,145
 $18,757



The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash reported within the consolidated balance sheets:
As of March 31,As of September 30,
2018 20172018 2017
CURRENT ASSETS:

 

  

Cash and cash equivalents$50,777
 $64,732
$140,752
 $74,023
Restricted cash12,370
 11,253
20,317
 17,335
TOTAL CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH$63,147
 $75,985
TOTAL CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH$161,069
 $91,358

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.



ALLEGIANT TRAVEL COMPANY
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(unaudited)

Note 1 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Allegiant Travel Company (the “Company”) and its majority-owned operating subsidiaries. The Company has no independent assets or operations, and all guarantees of the Company's publicly held debt are full and unconditional and joint and several. Any subsidiaries of the parent company other than the subsidiary guarantors are minor. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

These unaudited consolidated financial statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments which management believes are necessary to present fairly the financial position, results of operations, and cash flows of the Company for the respective periods presented. Certain reclassifications have been made to prior year financial statements to conform to classifications used in the current year. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the annual consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP") have been omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission for Form 10-Q. These unaudited interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements of the Company and notes thereto included in the annual report of the Company on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Standards Effective in Future Years

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASUAccounting Standards update ("ASU") 2016-02, related to leases."Leases (topic 842)." This standard will require certain leases with durations greater than twelve months to be recognized on the balance sheet as a lease liability and a corresponding right-of-use asset, and is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018 with early adoption permitted. The Company will adopt this standard effective January 1, 2019.

In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-11, "Targeted Improvements - Leases (Topic 842)." This update provides an optional transition method that allows entities to elect to apply the standard prospectively at the adoption date, versus recasting the prior periods presented. If elected, the Company will recognize a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption.

The Company has not completed the assessment of this new standard. The Companystandard but believes adoption will have a significant impact on its consolidated balance sheets butdue to the recognition of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for certain leases currently accounted for as operating leases. It is not expected to significantly change the recognition, measurement or presentation of associated expenses within the consolidated statements of income or cash flows.

Recently Adopted Standards

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, which amends the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 230 on the classification of certain cash receipts and payments in the statement of cash flows. The primary purpose of the ASU is to reduce the diversity in practice that has resulted from the lack of consistency on this topic. The Company adopted this standard effective January 1, 2018. This standard was applied retrospectively, which resulted in the inclusion of restricted cash as shown in the beginning and ending balances of cash on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. A reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash from our Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows to the amounts reported within our Consolidated Balance Sheet is also included in a table below our Statement of Cash Flows.

In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, "Income Statement - Statement—Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220)." This standard provides an option to reclassify stranded tax effects within accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) ("AOCI") to retained earnings. Stranded tax effects occur when a change in enacted tax rates is recorded in income from operations, even in situations in which the related income tax effects of items in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) were originally recognized in AOCI. This standard is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 31, 2018, and early adoption is permitted. The Company adopted this standard effective January 1, 2018. Due to the adoption2018 and a one-time effect of this standard, $0.6 million washas been reclassified from AOCI to retained earnings as of March 31, 2018.earnings.

In 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue"Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)," (the "New Revenue Standard"). Under this ASU and subsequently issued amendments, revenue is recognized at the time a good or service is transferred to a customer for the amount of consideration received. Entities may use a full retrospective approach or report the


cumulative effect as of the date of adoption. WeThe Company adopted this standard using the full retrospective transition method


effective January 1, 2018 and recast prior year results as shown below.results. See Note 2, "Revenue Recognition" for more information on the financial impact of this adoption.

Under the New Revenue Standard, revenue for all air-relatedAir-related ancillary fees that are directly related to ticket revenue, such as seat fees and baggage fees, are no longer considered distinct performance obligations separate from passenger travel and are reclassified into passenger revenue. These are deemed part of the single performance obligation of providing passenger transportation. While the adoption of the New Revenue Standard did not have a significant effect on earnings, $154.7$150.1 million and $472.4 million of air-relatedAir-related ancillary fees for the quarterthree and nine months ended March 31,September 30, 2018, respectively, are now classified as passenger revenue.

The adoption of the New Revenue Standard resulted in a net reduction to our air traffic liability at December 31, 2017 of $5.9 million. This change resulted from the recognition of breakage revenue on issuance forof credit vouchers that are expected to expire unused. In addition, we now defer recognition of revenues for fees associated with flight changes or cancellations are now deferred until the time of flight rather than recognizingbeing recognized at the time the fee is incurred. The Company already recognizes revenue from the Co-brandco-branded credit card program on the deferral method.

The Company has a significant contract with Bank of America to issuehas issued The Allegiant World Mastercard® in which points are earned and awarded to cardholders in exchange for consideration received under an agreement with a seven year scheduled duration expiring in 2023. Under this arrangement, the Company identified the following deliverables: travel points to be awarded (the travel component), use of the Company’s brand and access to its member lists, and certain other advertising and marketing elements (collectively the marketing component). Consideration received from the Company’s co-brand agreement is allocated between the two components based on the relative selling price of each deliverable. The Company applies a level of management judgment and estimation in determining the best estimate of selling price for each deliverable by considering multiple inputs and methods including, but not limited to, the redemption value of points awarded, discounted cash flows, brand value, volume discounts, published selling prices, number of points to be awarded and number of points to be redeemed.

See
Note 2 "Revenue— Revenue Recognition" for more information.

Impact of Recently Adopted Standards

We recast certainCertain prior period amounts have been recast to conform withto the adoption of the New Revenue Standard as shown in the tables below.

   Three Months Ended March 31, 2017   Three Months Ended September 30, 2017 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017
 As Previously       Current
(in thousands, except per share data) ReportedAdjustments   Presentation
(in thousands, except per As Previously Reported Current Presentation As Previously Reported Current Presentation
share data) Adjustments Adjustments
Income Statement:      
Passenger revenue* $212,097
$135,739
$347,836
Passenger revenue (1) $183,064
$132,244
$315,308
 $615,777
$414,618
$1,030,395
Air-related charges 131,565
(131,565)
 130,818
(130,818)
 407,789
(407,789)
Sales and marketing 9,998
3,333
13,331
 13,884

13,884
 36,744
3,963
40,707
Income tax provision 24,479
122
24,601
 12,436
335
12,771
 66,715
493
67,208
Net income 41,632
719
42,351
 22,293
1,091
23,384
 112,400
2,373
114,773
Diluted earnings per share $2.50
$0.04
$2.54
 $1.39
$0.06
$1.45
 $6.85
$0.14
$6.99
*(1) Passenger revenue previously reported as Scheduled service revenue.
  December 31, 2017
   As Previously        Current
(in thousands)  ReportedAdjustments   Presentation
Balance Sheet:    
   Air traffic liability $210,184
$(5,885)$204,299
   Deferred income taxes 118,492
521
119,013
   Retained earnings 902,579
5,364
907,943


Note 2 — Revenue Recognition

Passenger Revenue

Passenger revenue is primarily composed of passenger ticket sales, credit voucher breakage, seat fees, baggage fees, and other travel-related services performed in conjunction with a passenger’s flight.flight, as well as co-brand point redemptions as outlined below:

Three Months Ended March 31,Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2018 2017
(in thousands)2018 2017 2018 2017
Scheduled service$238,520
 $214,263
$202,796
 $183,294
 $677,061
 $618,368
Air-related ancillary charges154,717
 133,223
Co-brand redemption3,534
 350
Ancillary air-related charges150,095
 131,388
 472,443
 410,500
Co-brand redemptions2,209
 626
 7,939
 1,527
Total passenger revenue$396,771
 $347,836
$355,100
 $315,308
 $1,157,443
 $1,030,395

Scheduled service

Passenger tickets.tickets. We provideThe Company provides scheduled air transportation on limited-frequency, nonstop flights predominantly between under-served cities and popular leisure destinations. We record salesSales of passenger tickets to benot yet flown by usare recorded in air traffic liability. Passenger revenue is recognized when we provide transportation is provided or when ticket voucher breakage occurs.occurs, to the extent different from estimated breakage.

WeThe contract term of passenger tickets is 12 months and revenue associated with future travel will principally be recognized $155.9within this time frame. $192.6 million inwas recognized into passenger revenue during the threenine months ended March 31,September 30, 2018 that was recorded in ourthe air traffic liability balance of $204.3 million at December 31, 2017. We expect the remaining balance of the December 31, 2017 air traffic liability to be recognized during the remainder of 2018.

Credit voucher breakage.breakage. We estimateThe Company estimates the value of vouchers that will expire unused and recognizerecognizes such revenue at the time the credit voucher is issued.

Air-relatedAncillary air-related charges

Air-related revenue is primarily composed of services performed in conjunction with a passenger's flight includingand includes baggage fees, the use of the Company’s website to purchase scheduled service transportation, advance seat assignments, and other services. We recognize revenueRevenue for these services is recognized when the related transportation service is provided. Prior to the adoption of the New Revenue Standard, the majority of these fees were classified separately as Ancillary air-related charges.

Co-brand redemptionredemptions

In relation to the travel component of the contract with Bank of America, the Company has a performance obligation to provide cardholders with points to be used for future travel award redemptions. Therefore, consideration received from Bank of America related to the travel component is deferred based on its relative selling price and is recognized into passenger revenue when the points are redeemed and the transportation is provided.

The following table presents the activity of the current and non-current point liabilities (in thousands):
 2018
Balance at January 1$8,903
Points awarded10,872
Points redeemed(7,939)
Balance at September 30$11,836

As of September 30, 2018, $8.1 million of the current points liability is reflected in Accrued liabilities and represents our current estimate of revenue to be recognized in the next twelve months based on historical trends, with the remaining balance reflected in Other noncurrent liabilities expected to be recognized into revenue in periods thereafter. See below, Third Party Products, for a discussion of the marketing component.

 Points liability
Balance at January 1, 2018$8,903
Points awarded3,233
Points redeemed(3,534)
Balance at March 31, 2018$8,602

As of March 31, 2018, the amount of deferred revenue allocated to the co-branded credit card program is $8.6 million and is reflected in the Company's consolidated balance sheet with the short-term component in Accrued liabilities and the remainder in Other noncurrent liabilities. This is estimated to be recognized over the next two years.


Third Party Products

Third party products revenue is generated from the sale of hotel rooms, rental cars, ticket attractions and co-brand marketing revenue.

Revenue from the sale of hotel rooms, rental cars, and ticket attractions is recognized at the time the product is utilized, such as the time a purchased hotel room is occupied. The Company follows the accounting standards for determining whether it is a principal or anversus agent in revenue arrangements to determine the amount of revenue to be recognized for each element of a bundled sale involving air-related charges and third party products, in addition to airfare. Revenue from the sale of third party products is recorded net (treatment as an agent) of amounts paid to wholesale providers, travel agent commissions, and transaction costs.

Pursuant to the co-brand agreementarrangement with Bank of America, the Company has various performance obligations which are collectively referred to as the marketing component. These obligations consist of use of the Company’s brand and access to its member lists, and certain other advertising and marketing elements. The marketing component is recorded as third party products revenue in the period in which points are awarded to the credit card holders.

Fixed Fee Contract Revenue

Fixed fee contract revenue consists of agreements to provide charter service on a year-round and ad hoc basis. Fixed fee contract revenue is recognized when the transportation is provided.

Other Revenue

Other revenue is generated from leased aircraft, engines, and other miscellaneous sources. Lease revenue is recognized ratably over the lease term.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable, reflected on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet,consolidated balance sheets, primarily consist of amounts due from credit card companies associated with passenger revenue. These receivables are short-term, generally settled within a few days of sale. Bad debt expense, which occurs in the form of credit card chargebacks, was not material in any period presented.

Taxes and Fees

Various taxes and fees, assessed on the sale of tickets to customers, are collected by the Company serving as an agent, and remitted to taxing authorities. These taxes and fees are not included as revenue in the Company’s consolidated statements of income and are recorded as a liability until remitted to the appropriate taxing authority.

Note 3 — Property and Equipment

Property and equipment (in thousands):

As of March 31, 2018 As of December 31, 2017As of September 30, 2018 As of December 31, 2017
Flight equipment, including pre-delivery deposits$1,668,984
 $1,539,433
$1,867,655
 $1,539,433
Computer hardware and software124,728
 123,675
137,110
 123,675
Land and buildings/leasehold improvements88,882
 77,409
Other property and equipment142,630
 125,855
75,529
 48,446
Total property and equipment1,936,342
 1,788,963
2,169,176
 1,788,963
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization(300,521) (276,548)(352,371) (276,548)
Property and equipment, net$1,635,821
 $1,512,415
$1,816,805
 $1,512,415



Note 4 — Long-Term Debt

Long-term debt and capital lease obligations (in thousands):

As of March 31, 2018 As of December 31, 2017As of September 30, 2018 As of December 31, 2017
Fixed-rate notes payable and capital lease obligations due through 2029$542,352
 $465,462
Variable-rate notes payable due through 2027597,424
 699,430
Fixed-rate debt and capital lease obligations due through 2030$644,116
 $465,462
Variable-rate debt due through 2028668,933
 699,430
Total long-term debt and capital lease obligations, net of related costs1,139,776
 1,164,892
1,313,049
 1,164,892
Less current maturities, net of related costs154,850
 214,761
654,697
 214,761
Long-term debt and capital lease obligations, net of current maturities and related costs$984,926
 $950,131
$658,352
 $950,131
      
Weighted average fixed-interest rate on debt5.4% 5.4%5.3% 5.4%
Weighted average variable-interest rate on debt3.8% 3.3%4.0% 3.3%

Maturities of long-term debt and capital lease obligations for the remainder of 2018 and for the next five years and thereafter, in the aggregate, are: remaining in 2018 - $129.9$114.6 million; 2019 - $552.2$570.2 million; 2020 - $99.8$118.6 million; 2021 - $72.8$91.9 million; 2022 - $45.5$64.5 million; and $239.6$353.2 million thereafter.

Secured DebtConsolidated Variable Interest Entity

DuringThe Company evaluates ownership, contractual lease arrangements and other interests in entities to determine if they are variable interest entities ("VIEs") based on the three months ended March 31,nature and extent of those interests. These evaluations are complex and involve judgment and the use of estimates and assumptions based on available historical information and management’s judgment, among other factors. The Company consolidates a VIE when, among other criteria, it has the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance as well as the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits of the VIE, thus making the Company the primary beneficiary of the VIE.

In September 2018, the Company, did not enterthrough a wholly owned subsidiary, entered into any new loan agreements.agreements with a trust to borrow $44.0 million secured by one Airbus A320 series aircraft. The trust was funded on inception. These borrowings bear interest at a blended rate of 4.0 percent, payable in quarterly installments through September 2028, at which time the Company will have a purchase option at a fixed amount. As this transaction is a common control transaction, the Company, as the primary beneficiary, has measured and recorded the assets and liabilities at their carrying values, which were $37.8 million and $44.0 million, respectively, as of September 30, 2018.

Senior Secured Revolving Credit Facility

In 2015, the Company, through a wholly owned subsidiary, entered into a senior secured revolving credit facility under which it was entitled to borrow up to $56.0 million. As of December 31, 2017, the balance under this facility was $41.3 million, net of related costs, with five Airbus aircraft included in the collateral pool. In March 2018, the Company paid off the remaining balance under this facility.

On March 30, 2018,of the Company amended this facility and will now be ableamended it to borrow upincrease the borrowing limit to $81.0 millionmillion. The amended facility has a term of 24 months and is based on the value of Airbus A320 Seriesseries aircraft which the Company may choose to placeplaced in the collateral pool. TheIn July 2018, the Company drew down $46.9 million under this facility, has a termand no principal payments have been made as of 24 months. Any notes under the facility will bear interest at a floating rate based on LIBOR plus 1.75 percent. An individual aircraftSeptember 30, 2018. Aircraft may remain in the collateral pool for up to two years. As ofyears, and those currently collateralized were placed into the pool in December 2016. The notes for the amounts borrowed under the facility bear interest at a floating rate based on LIBOR and are due on March 31, 2020.

Other Secured Debt

In September 2018, therethe Company entered into a senior secured credit facility under which it is able to borrow up to $75.0 million. In that same month, the Company borrowed $55.5 million under this agreement secured by three Airbus A320 series aircraft. The remaining $19.5 million, secured by one Airbus A320 series aircraft, was no balanceborrowed in October 2018. The borrowing bears interest at a floating rate based on this credit facility.LIBOR, payable in quarterly installments over seven years.

In July 2018, the Company borrowed $34.5 million under a loan agreement secured by one Airbus A320 series aircraft. The note bears interest at a floating rate based on LIBOR, payable in quarterly installments over ten years.



In June 2018, the Company borrowed $10.8 million under a loan agreement secured by various ground equipment. The note bears interest at a fixed rate of 4.2 percent per year, payable in monthly installments over five years.

General Unsecured Senior Notes

In June 2014, the Company completed an offering of $300.0 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured obligations (the "Notes") which will mature in July 2019. In December 2016, the Company completed an offering of an additional $150.0 million principal amount of these notes, which were issued at a price of 101.5 percent of the principal amount, plus accrued interest from July 15, 2016. The Notes bear interest at a rate of 5.5 percent per year, payable in cash semi-annually, on January 1515th and July 1515th of each year.

The indenture pursuant to which the Notes were issued includes operating and financial restrictions on the Company. These restrictions limit or restrict, among other things, the Company’s ability and the ability of its restricted subsidiaries to (i) incur additional indebtedness; (ii) incur liens; (iii) make restricted payments (including paying dividends on, redeeming, repurchasing or retiring capital stock); (iv) make investments; and (v) consolidate, merge or sell all or substantially all of its assets. These covenants are subject to various exceptions and qualifications under the terms of the indenture. As of December 31, 2017 and also March 31,September 30, 2018, the Company exceeded the consolidated total leverage ratio limit, which could affect the ability to make restricted payments in future periods after exhaustion of various exceptions. However, we doit is not expectexpected that this towill have any impact on the restricted payments we routinely makemade in the ordinary course of business. The calculation is made on a quarterly basis based on the trailing 12 months.



Capital Leases

The Company has capital lease obligations related to aircraft, which significantly impacted our recognized assets and liabilities as of March 31,September 30, 2018, but did not result in any materialsignificant cash receipts or cash payments during the quarter.

Note 5 — Fair Value Measurements

The Company measures certain financial assets and liabilities at fair value on a recurring basis. Fair value is an exit price, representing the amount that would be received by selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants.

Accounting standards pertaining to fair value measurements establish a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. These tiers include: Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities; Level 2, defined as inputs other than Level 1 inputs that are either directly or indirectly observable; and Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs for which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions.

The Company uses the market approach valuation technique to determine fair value for investment securities. The assets classified as Level 1 consist of money market funds for which original cost approximates fair value. The assets classified as Level 2 consist of commercial paper, municipal debt securities, federal agency debt securities, US Treasury Bonds, and corporate debt securities, which are valued using quoted market prices or alternative pricing sources including transactions involving identical or comparable assets and models utilizing market observable inputs. The Company has no investment securities classified as Level 3.

For those assets classified as Level 2 that are not in active markets, the Company obtains fair value from pricing sources using quoted market prices for identical or comparable instruments, and uses pricing models which include all significant observable inputs: maturity dates, issue dates, settlement dates, benchmark yields, reported trades, broker-dealer quotes, issue spreads, benchmark securities, bids, offers and other market related data. These inputs are observable or can be derived from, or corroborated by, observable market data for substantially the full term of the asset.

The fair value of the Company's derivative instrument is determined using standard valuation models. The significant inputs used in these models are readily available in public markets or can be derived from observable market transactions and therefore have been classified as Level 2. Inputs used in these standard valuation models for derivative instruments include the applicable exchange and interest rates.


Financial instruments measured at fair value on a recurring basis (in thousands):
 
As of March 31, 2018 As of December 31, 2017As of September 30, 2018 As of December 31, 2017
Total Level 1 Level 2 Total Level 1 Level 2Total Level 1 Level 2 Total Level 1 Level 2
Cash equivalents                      
Money market funds$45,227
 $45,227
 $
 $1,297
 $1,297
 $
Commercial paper$33,473
 $
 $33,473
 $27,910
 $
 $27,910
42,157
 
 42,157
 27,910
 
 27,910
Municipal debt securities3,102
 
 3,102
 2,782
 
 2,782
2,053
 
 2,053
 2,782
 
 2,782
Money market funds889
 889
 
 1,297
 1,297
 
Total cash equivalents37,464
 889
 36,575
 31,989
 1,297
 30,692
89,437
 45,227
 44,210
 31,989
 1,297
 30,692
Short-term 
  
    
  
  
 
  
    
  
  
Commercial paper143,961
 
 143,961
 108,678
 
 108,678
Corporate debt securities122,875
 
 122,875
 107,878
 
 107,878
99,556
 
 99,556
 107,878
 
 107,878
Commercial paper101,058
 
 101,058
 108,678
 
 108,678
Municipal debt securities76,381
 
 76,381
 101,290
 
 101,290
27,191
 
 27,191
 101,290
 
 101,290
Federal agency debt securities39,529
 
 39,529
 31,428
 
 31,428
12,227
 
 12,227
 31,428
 
 31,428
US Treasury Bonds1,419
 
 1,419
 3,407
 
 3,407
1,681
 
 1,681
 3,407
 
 3,407
Total short-term341,262
 
 341,262
 352,681
 
 352,681
284,616
 
 284,616
 352,681
 
 352,681
Long-term 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
Corporate debt securities55,874
 
 55,874
 60,396
 
 60,396
40,343
 
 40,343
 60,396
 
 60,396
Federal agency debt securities17,137
 
 17,137
 5,775
 
 5,775
10,026
 
 10,026
 5,775
 
 5,775
US Treasury Bonds2,984
 
 2,984
 2,994
 
 2,994
Municipal debt securities9,658
 
 9,658
 9,405
 
 9,405

 
 
 9,405
 
 9,405
US Treasury Bonds2,990
 
 2,990
 2,994
 
 2,994
Derivative instruments107
 
 107
 282
 
 282

 
 
 282
 
 282
Total long-term85,766
 
 85,766
 78,852
 
 78,852
53,353
 
 53,353
 78,852
 
 78,852
Total financial instruments$464,492
 $889
 $463,603
 $463,522
 $1,297
 $462,225
$427,406
 $45,227
 $382,179
 $463,522
 $1,297
 $462,225

The fair value of the Company’s publicly held long-term debt is determined based on inputs that are readily available in public markets or can be derived from information available in publicly quoted markets; therefore, the Company has categorized its publicly held debt as Level 2. The Company's remaining debt agreements areis not publicly held. Theheld, and the Company has determined the estimated fair value of these notes to be Level 3, as certain inputs used to determine the fair value of these agreements are unobservable and, therefore, could be sensitive to changes in inputs. The Company utilizes the discounted cash flow method to estimate the fair value of Level 3 debt.

Carrying value and estimated fair value of long-term debt, including current maturities and without reduction for related costs (in thousands):

As of March 31, 2018 As of December 31, 2017 As of September 30, 2018 As of December 31, 2017 
Carrying Value Estimated Fair Value Carrying Value Estimated Fair Value Hierarchy LevelCarrying Value Estimated Fair Value Carrying Value Estimated Fair Value Hierarchy Level
Publicly held debt$451,107
 $459,001
 $451,321
 $462,604
 2$450,679
 $455,749
 $451,321
 $462,604
 2
Non-publicly held debt616,974
 555,099
 719,681
 660,065
 3742,878
 663,776
 719,681
 660,065
 3
Total long-term debt$1,068,081
 $1,014,100
 $1,171,002
 $1,122,669
 $1,193,557
 $1,119,525
 $1,171,002
 $1,122,669
 

Due to the short-term nature, carrying amounts of cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximate fair value.

Note 6 — Shareholders’ Equity

The Company is authorized by the Board of Directors to acquire up to $100.0 million of its stock through open market purchases under its share repurchase program. As repurchase authority is used, the Board of Directors has, to date, authorized additional expenditures for share repurchases.


For the three and nine months ended March 31,September 30, 2018 the Company had no open market share repurchases. For the three months ended March 31,and 2017, open market share repurchases consisted of the following:

Three Months Ended March 31,Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2018 20172018 2017 2018 2017
Shares repurchased (not in thousands) (1)None
 15,440
None
 None
 None
 604,497
Average price per shareNA
 $161.92
NA
 NA
 NA
 $142.66
Total (in thousands)None
 $2,500
None
 None
 None
 $86,240
(1) Share amounts shown above include only open market repurchases and doDoes not include shares withheld from employees for tax withholding obligations related to restricted stock vestings.

During the threenine months ended March 31,September 30, 2018, the Company declared and paid recurring cash dividends of $0.70$2.10 per share, or $11.3$33.9 million.

Note 7 — Earnings per Share

Basic and diluted earnings per share are computed pursuant to the two-class method. Under this method, the Company attributes net income to two classes: common stock and unvested restricted stock. Unvested restricted stock awards granted to employees under the Company’s Long-Term Incentive Plan are considered participating securities as they receive non-forfeitable rights to cash dividends at the same rate as common stock.

Diluted net income per share is calculated using the more dilutive of the two methods. Under both methods, the exercise of employee stock options is assumed using the treasury stock method. The assumption of vesting of restricted stock, however, differs:

1.Assume vesting of restricted stock using the treasury stock method.

2.Assume unvested restricted stock awards are not vested, and allocate earnings to common shares and unvested restricted stock awards using the two-class method.

For the three and nine months ended March 31,September 30, 2018, the second method, which assumes unvested awards are not vested, was used in the computation because it was more dilutive than the first method.


The following table sets forth the computation of net income per share, on a basic and diluted basis, for the periods indicated (share count and dollar amounts other than per-share amounts in table are in thousands):

Three Months Ended March 31,Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2018 20172018 2017 2018 2017
Basic:          
Net income$55,193
 $42,351
$15,147
 $23,384
 $120,356
 $114,773
Less net income allocated to participating securities(768) (694)(194) (331) (1,602) (1,784)
Net income attributable to common stock$54,425
 $41,657
$14,953
 $23,053
 $118,754
 $112,989
Net income per share, basic$3.43
 $2.54
Earnings per share, basic$0.94
 $1.45
 $7.46
 $7.00
Weighted-average shares outstanding15,889
 16,382
15,957
 15,852
 15,929
 16,142
Diluted: 
  
 
  
  
  
Net income$55,193
 $42,351
$15,147
 $23,384
 $120,356
 $114,773
Less net income allocated to participating securities(768) (693)(194) (330) (1,601) (1,782)
Net income attributable to common stock$54,425
 $41,658
$14,953
 $23,054
 $118,755
 $112,991
Net income per share, diluted$3.42
 $2.54
Earnings per share, diluted$0.94
 $1.45
 $7.45
 $6.99
Weighted-average shares outstanding15,889
 16,382
15,957
 15,852
 15,929
 16,142
Dilutive effect of stock options and restricted stock46
 91
35
 18
 42
 60
Adjusted weighted-average shares outstanding under treasury stock method15,935
 16,473
15,992
 15,870
 15,971
 16,202
Participating securities excluded under two-class method(37) (68)(30) (8) (33) (42)
Adjusted weighted-average shares outstanding under two-class method15,898
 16,405
15,962
 15,862
 15,938
 16,160

For the three and nine months ended March 31,September 30, 2018, anti-dilutive shares excluded from the calculation of earnings per share were 1,46339,943 and 74,873 shares (not in thousands)., respectively.

Note 8 — Commitments and Contingencies

As of March 31,September 30, 2018, the Company had firm commitments to purchase the following aircraft:

Aircraft TypeNumber of Aircraft Under Contract
Airbus A3191
Airbus A32013

ten Airbus A320 series aircraft. In addition, the Company has entered into lease agreements for an additional 1312 Airbus A320 aircraft, threefour of which have been delivered and are in service, and one of which has been delivered but werewas not in service as of March 31,September 30, 2018. The remaining 10 aircraft are expected to be delivered by the end of 2018.


Future minimum fixed payments for the Company's commitments related to the acquisition of aircraft (including aircraft lease obligations), airport fees under use and lease agreements, and other operating lease obligations are as follows as of March 31,September 30, 2018 (in thousands):

As of March 31, 2018As of September 30, 2018
Remaining in 2018$128,042
$44,154
2019124,842
116,322
202069,488
62,382
202128,582
21,248
202225,004
19,159
Thereafter164,987
122,414
Total commitments$540,945
$385,679


Contingencies

The Company is subject to certain legal and administrative actions it considers routine to its business activities. The Company believes the ultimate outcome of any pending legal or administrative matters will not have a material adverse impact on its financial position, liquidity or results of operations.

Note 9 — Related Party Transactions

During the three and nine months ended March 31,September 30, 2018, the Company did not make any payments tono related parties.party transactions occurred requiring disclosure.

Entities owned or controlled by the Company's Chairman and CEO have been paid for the building of corporate training content. This approach to training focuses on concept mastery, recognizing that individuals learn at varying paces, through different styles, and is designed to ensure the trainee fully understands each module before moving on to more advanced training. During the threenine months ended March 31,September 30, 2017, the Company made payments to these entities of $0.2 million. No further payments are expected.

Note 10 — Subsequent Events

In October 2018, the Company executed a purchase agreement for one Airbus A320 series aircraft, for which delivery is expected in the second quarter 2019.

Also in October 2018, the remaining $19.5 million was borrowed under a senior secured credit facility entered into by the Company in September, which is secured by one Airbus A320 series aircraft.

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis presents factors that had a material effect on our results of operations during the three and nine months ended March 31,September 30, 2018 and 2017. Also discussed is our financial position as of March 31,September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017. You should read this discussion in conjunction with our unaudited consolidated financial statements, including the notes thereto, appearing elsewhere in this Form 10-Q and our consolidated financial statements appearing in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017. This discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements. Please refer to the section below entitled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” for a discussion of the uncertainties, risks and assumptions associated with these statements.

FIRST QUARTER REVIEWThird Quarter Review

Highlights:

Added four Airbus A320 series aircraft into service and retired five MD-80 aircraft;
experienced year-over-year load factor improvements for each month during the quarter, with an overall 2.9 percentage point increase in load factor for the quarter;
operating margin remained relatively flat year over year, with less than a one percentage point decline, despite a 20.4 percent increase in the average fuel cost per gallon;
significant operational improvements, as we ranked among the the top three airlines for having the lowest cancellation rates in the industry for both January and February 2018;
paid recurring cash dividends of $11.3 million during the quarter; and
operating 390 routes as of quarter-end versus 358 at the same point in 2017.


AIRCRAFT

The following table sets forth the aircraft in service and operated by us as of the dates indicated:

March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017 March 31, 2017September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 September 30, 2017
MD-8032
 37
 47
19
 37
 40
B757-200
 
 2

 
 2
A319 (1)26
 22
 19
31
 22
 21
A320 (2)30
 30
 17
43
 30
 26
Total88
 89
 85
93
 89
 89
(1) Does not include eight A319 aircraft on lease to a European carrier and two that have been returned from lease but were not yet in service as of March 31, 2018.the respective date.
(2) Does not include eight A320 aircraft for which we have taken delivery but were not yet in service as of March 31, 2018.the respective date.

As of March 31,September 30, 2018, we had firm commitments to purchase 14ten Airbus A320 series aircraft and had executed lease agreements for 10seven Airbus A320 series aircraft which have yet to be delivered. We expect delivery of 16 of these committedthree aircraft in 2018 and the remaining aircraft in 2019 and 2020. We continually consider aircraft acquisitions on an opportunistic basis.


Fleet Plan

The below table indicates the number of aircraft expected to be in service as of the dates indicated, based on currently scheduled additions to, and retirements from, our operating fleet.

As of June 30, 2018 As of September 30, 2018 As of December 31, 2018As of December 31, 2018 As of March 31, 2019
MD-8027
 19
 

 
A31931
 31
 32
32
 37
A32041
 45
 50
44
 48
Total99
 95
 82
76
 85

NETWORK

OurAs of September 30, 2018, we were operating network411 routes versus 373 as of March 31, 2018the same date last year, which represents an 8.9a 10.2 percent increase in the number of routes flown compared to March 31, 2017.increase. Our total numbernumbers of origination cities and leisure destinations were 9896 and 1922, respectively, as of March 31, 2018, compared with 97September 30, 2018. Based on our currently published schedule through May 2019, and 20service announcements and cancellations by other airlines to date, we will have direct competition (which we consider to be non-stop service between similar markets) on 101 of our routes as of March 31, 2017. As of May 1, 2018, we were selling 419 routes.that date.

We also announced service to three new cities: Albany, New York; St. George, Utah and Tucson, Arizona. These routes are planned to begin in November and December 2018.

TRENDS

In continuing with our fleet transition to an all-Airbus fleet, weWe added foureight Airbus A320 series aircraft to our operating fleet during the firstthird quarter of 2018 as we near the conclusion of our fleet transition. Two additional aircraft are expected to be added by year-end, and the remaining MD-80 aircraft will be retired by the end of November 2018. Airbus aircraft flew 72.486.5 percent of our scheduled service ASMs for the quarter, compared to 52.662.6 percent for the same time period in 2017. We expect 26 more Airbus A320 series aircraft to be placed2017, which drove a 6.7 percent increase in service by the end of 2018.fuel efficiency (measured as ASMs per gallon).

In conjunction with the fleet transition, we retired five MD-80 aircraft during the quarter and expect to retire the remaining 32 MD-80 aircraft by the end of 2018. Although the number of aircraft in our fleet will decline by the end of the year with the retirement of all of our MD-80 aircraft, we intend to continue to increase ourincreasing capacity and network as we havethrough higher utilization rates on our Airbus fleet than we have had on our MD-80 aircraft. Additionally, our Airbus fleet has more available seats, on average, than our MD-80 fleet.

We have seen significant improvementsHowever, our capacity growth through the end of 2018 will be lower than in our operations. According to the most recent Department of Transportation (DOT) statistics, we ranked among the the top three airlines for having the lowest cancellation rates in the industry for both January and February 2018. We have company initiatives to engage every employee in the goal of improving operations. Additionally, we expect to gain operational efficienciesprior years as we transition to an all Airbus fleet.

Our customer satisfaction has improved. Travel & Leisure Magazine recently announced we finished third in its 2017 American Customer Satisfaction Index of the American airline industry, ahead of all three legacy carriers. The magazine reported we had the highest jump in score from the prior year of all airlines in the report.

In April 2018, CBS aired a 60 Minutes segment criticalresult of our safetyfleet transition and the FAA oversighteffects of our operations. We believeaircraft delivery delays throughout the report was misleading, misrepresented our safety culture at that time and now, and mostly ignored the substantial improvement in the reliability of our operations since the events reported. In the wake of this segment, our rate of cancellations increased and bookings declined. Within a matter of a few weeks after the story aired, cancellations and bookings returned to more normal levels. Although we do not believe the impact of this story will have a material effect on our results of operations, it is not known whether there will be any lingering effect on our business.

The continued roll out of our new revenue management system has had positive results. We have seen five consecutive months of year-over-year load factor improvements. Our overall scheduled service load factor for the first quarter 2018 was 85.1 percent compared to 82.2 percent for the first quarter 2017.
As of March 31, 2018, we were offering service on 142 medium-sized city routes compared to 101 as of the same date in 2017. We have 29 new routes expected to begin in the second quarter, including service into our newest cities - Nashville, Tennessee; Sarasota/Bradenton, Florida; and Charleston, South Carolina.year.

Planning and development for Sunseeker ResortsResort - Charlotte Harbor is ongoing. Construction is expected to begin in June 2018,the first quarter of 2019, with the opening of the resort planned for early 2020.

Our flight dispatchers have voted for union representation by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters ("IBT") and negotiations began in February 2017, but we have yet2017. The dispatchers failed to reach an agreement.ratify a tentative agreement reached in May 2018 and, as a result, negotiations continue. There are approximately 40 employees in this employeeoperating group. Any labor actions following an inability to reach a collective bargaining agreement with this employee group could impact our operations during the continuance of any such activity. Any labor agreement reached following negotiations would also likely increase our operating costs.

In March 2018, our maintenance technicians who represent approximately nine percent of our total employee base (approximately 340 employees), voted for union representation by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT).IBT. Negotiations for an agreement with this group willare expected to begin in the near future.

In July 2018, the IBT announced that our pilots were supportive of a strike as a result of delays in our implementation of a new preferential bidding system for pilot flight assignments. We do not believe we are in violation of the collective bargaining agreement with our pilots in this regard, nor do we believe the pilots have a legal right to strike because of this issue. As a result, we have filed suit against the IBT seeking to foreclose the possibility of a strike at this time.

Any labor actions whether following an inability to reach a collective bargaining agreement with any employee group or otherwise could impact our operations during the continuance of any such activity. Any labor agreement reached following negotiations would also likely increase our operating costs.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Comparison of three months ended March 31,September 30, 2018 to three months ended March 31,September 30, 2017

Operating Revenue

Passenger revenue. Passenger revenue now includes both scheduled service revenue and ancillary air-related ancillary revenue, due to the implementation of the New Revenue Standard. For the firstthird quarter 2018, passenger revenue increased 14.112.6 percent compared to third quarter 2017. The increase was driven primarily by a 15.212.9 percent increase in scheduled service passengers offset by a 1.0 percent decrease in scheduled service average fare. The increase in scheduled service passengers is due to a 9.5 percent increase in departures and a 2.90.5 percentage point increase in load factor.factor, which resulted in 15.4 percent more scheduled service passengers traveling. The higher number of passengers resulted in quarter-over-quarter increases in ancillary revenue products such as baggage, seat and convenience fees.


Third party products revenue. Third party productproducts revenue for the firstthird quarter 2018 decreased 19.0increased 28.9 percent overall compared to 2017, due mostlyprimarily to an increase in net revenue from rental cars resulting from the allocation of certainincrease in scheduled service passengers, as well as revenue components ofgenerated from our Allegiant World Mastercard® co-branded credit card, whereby $3.6 million of the revenue related to the travel component was reclassified into passenger revenue. This decrease was slightly offset by revenue on rental cars, which increased 20.5 percent year over year.card.

Fixed fee contract revenue. Fixed fee contract revenue for the firstthird quarter 2018 decreased 6.2increased 25.0 percent from 2017. This was planned and expectedis primarily due to less availabilityincreased flying for the Department of Defense, as we have refocused on increasing our fixed fee flying as our fleet has grown, and due to the greater desirability of Airbus aircraft for charter flyingfixed fee flights.
Other revenue. Other revenue decreased by $3.4 million for the third quarter 2018 from 2017 primarily as six aircraft which generated lease revenue from a European carrier during our fleet transition.the third quarter 2017, had been delivered to us prior to the third quarter 2018.

Operating Expenses

We primarily evaluate our expense management by comparing our costs per passenger and per ASM across different periods, which enables us to assess trends in each expense category. The following table presents operating expense per passenger for the indicated periods. The table also presents operating expense per passenger, excluding fuel, a statistic which gives management and investors the ability to measure and monitor our cost performance absent fuel price volatility. Both the cost and availability of fuel are subject to many economic and political factors beyond our control.


Three Months Ended March 31, PercentThree Months Ended September 30, Percent
2018 2017 Change2018 2017 Change
Aircraft fuel$32.10
 $29.38
 9.3 %$32.40
 $26.41
 22.7 %
Salary and benefits34.20
 33.42
 2.3
27.89
 29.15
 (4.3)
Station operations11.38
 11.05
 3.0
12.31
 12.20
 0.9
Maintenance and repairs5.83
 10.45
 (44.2)9.13
 9.48
 (3.7)
Depreciation and amortization8.52
 10.60
 (19.6)9.89
 10.47
 (5.5)
Sales and marketing5.78
 4.63
 24.8
4.79
 4.56
 5.0
Aircraft lease rentals0.01
 0.06
 (83.3)0.19
 0.18
 5.6
Other6.78
 6.72
 0.9
8.12
 7.97
 1.9
Operating expense per passenger$104.60
 $106.31
 (1.6)%$104.72
 $100.42
 4.3 %
Operating expense per passenger, excluding fuel$72.50
 $76.93
 (5.8)%$72.32
 $74.01
 (2.3)%

The following table presents unit costs on a per ASM basis, or CASM, for the indicated periods. As on a per-passenger basis, excluding fuel on a per ASM basis provides management and investors the ability to measure and monitor our cost performance absent fuel price volatility.

Three Months Ended March 31, PercentThree Months Ended September 30, Percent
2018 2017 Change2018 2017 Change
Aircraft fuel
2.84¢ 
2.51¢ 13.1 %
3.12¢ 
2.50¢ 24.8 %
Salary and benefits3.03
 2.85
 6.3
2.68
 2.76
 (2.9)
Station operations1.01
 0.94
 7.4
1.18
 1.15
 2.6
Maintenance and repairs0.52
 0.89
 (41.6)0.88
 0.90
 (2.2)
Depreciation and amortization0.75
 0.90
 (16.7)0.95
 0.99
 (4.0)
Sales and marketing0.51
 0.40
 27.5
0.46
 0.43
 7.0
Aircraft lease rentals0.02
 0.02
 
Other0.61
 0.58
 5.2
0.78
 0.75
 4.0
CASM
9.27¢ 
9.07¢ 2.2 %
10.07¢ 
9.50¢ 6.0 %
Operating CASM, excluding fuel
6.43¢ 
6.56¢ (2.0)%6.95
 7.00
 (0.7)
Non-airline CASM*0.16
 0.08
 100.0
Operating CASM, excluding fuel and non-airline expenses
6.79¢ 
6.92¢ (1.9)%
*Operating cost per ASM for non-airline subsidiaries

Aircraft fuel expense. Aircraft fuel expense increased 25.2$33.1 million, or 41.2 percent, for the firstthird quarter 2018 compared to 2017 as the system average fuel cost per gallon increased by 20.433.1 percent, coupled with a 3.86.0 percent increase in system fuel gallons consumed on a 10.413.2 percent increase in system ASMs. ASM growth outpaced fuel consumption as fuel efficiency (measured as ASMs per gallon) increased 6.46.7 percent year over year due to increased flying on our Airbus aircraft which are more fuel efficient.efficient than our MD-80 aircraft.

Salary and benefits expense. Salary and benefits expense increased $16.7$8.9 million, or 17.310.0 percent, for the firstthird quarter 2018 when compared to the same period last year. The increase is largely attributabledue to a 6.83.5 percent increase in thefull-time equivalent employees. Maintaining a larger number of full-time equivalent employees needed to support additional operating aircraft andflight crew personnel until the fleet transition to a single fleet type. Additionally,is complete, as well as effects of the collective bargaining agreement with our flight attendants (which went into effect January 1, 2018. In conjunction with this agreement, flight attendant salaries increased an average of 14 percent year over year. There were also annualin December 2017) contributed to salary increasesexpense for our pilots, as dictatedflight crew employees increasing by their collective bargaining agreement.17.0 percent compared to 2017.

Station operations expense. Station operations expense for the firstthird quarter 2018 increased 18.116.1 percent on a 9.512.9 percent increase in scheduled service departures compared to the same period in 2017. The increase in expense outpaced the increase in departures due primarily to rate increases for airport, landing and ground handling fees at our larger airports which tend to be more expensive.

Maintenance and repairs expense. Maintenance and repairs expense for the third quarter 2018 increased $3.1 million, or 10.8 percent, compared to the same period in 2017. The year-over-year increase is due primarily to a one-time fleet-wide maintenance campaign to baseline our Airbus aircraft which was mostly completed in third quarter 2018, coupled with a 6.6 percent increase in the average number of operating aircraft in service. These increases were partially offset by fewer heavy maintenance events performed on our MD-80 aircraft, as they are being systematically retired from our operating fleet. Additionally, the cost of major maintenance events for our Airbus aircraft is deferred in accordance with the deferral method of accounting and the amortization of these expenses is included in depreciation and amortization expense.

Depreciation and amortization expense. Depreciation and amortization expense for the third quarter 2018 increased 8.7 percent year over year, primarily related to a 6.6 percent increase in average number of aircraft in service. We continue to add Airbus aircraft into service, and this fleet type has a higher monthly depreciation expense. Depreciation expense for this fleet was $23.0 million for the third quarter 2018 compared to $15.7 million for the same period in 2017. Amortization of major maintenance costs under the deferral method of accounting for the Airbus aircraft was $2.9 million for the third quarter 2018 compared to $1.7 million for the third quarter 2017.

Additionally, as an impairment charge was taken on our MD-80 aircraft in the fourth quarter 2017, no depreciation expense for this fleet has been recognized during the year. Depreciation expense related to the MD-80 aircraft and Boeing 757-200 aircraft (retired in late 2017) for the three months ended September 30, 2017 was $5.0 million and $1.4 million, respectively.

Sales and marketing expense. Sales and marketing expense for the third quarter 2018 increased $2.9 million compared to the same period in 2017, partly due to an increase in net credit card fees paid as a result of the 12.6 percent increase in passenger revenue year over year. There were also increased expenses related to various marketing initiatives.

Aircraft lease rentals expense. Aircraft lease rentals expense for the third quarter 2018, consisting solely of sub-service expenses, remained relatively flat compared to 2017. We do not currently have aircraft under operating leases.

Other expense. Other operating expense for the third quarter 2018 increased $4.1 million compared to 2017. The increase is due to various administrative expenses incurred to support our airline operations, golf course management business and Sunseeker Resorts.

Non-airline expenses

Non-airline expenses are included in the various line items discussed above, as appropriate. The non-airline expenses include expenses from our Teesnap golf management business, expenses incurred to operate the Kingsway golf course since we acquired it in August 2018, operating expenses attributable to Sunseeker Resorts (most of the Sunseeker Resort expenses are being capitalized at this time) and expenses incurred in connection with the pilot program of family entertainment centers currently in development.

Income Tax Expense

Our effective tax rate was negative 5.1 percent for the three months ended September 30, 2018, compared to 35.3 percent for the three months ended September 30, 2017. The effective tax rate for the three months ended September 30, 2018 differed from the statutory federal income tax rate of 21.0 percent primarily due to a one-time benefit of an income tax refund for tax deductions not previously claimed, which was offset by state taxes. While we expect our tax rate to be fairly consistent in the near term, it will vary depending on recurring items such as the amount of income we earn in each state and the state tax rate applicable to such income. Discrete items during interim periods may also affect our tax rates.

Comparison of nine months ended September 30, 2018 to nine months ended September 30, 2017
Operating Revenue

Passenger revenue. Passenger revenue now includes both scheduled service revenue and ancillary air-related revenue, due to the implementation of the New Revenue Standard. For the nine months ended September 30, 2018, passenger revenue increased 12.3 percent compared with 2017. The increase was mostly attributable to a 10.8 percent increase in scheduled service departures and a 1.4 percentage point increase in load factor, which resulted in 14.4 percent more scheduled service passengers traveling. The higher number of passengers resulted in year-to-date increases in ancillary revenue products such as baggage, seat and convenience fees.
Third party products revenue. Third party products revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 increased 11.8 percent over the same period in 2017 primarily due to an increase in net revenue from rental cars.

Fixed fee contract revenue. Fixed fee contract revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 decreased 3.3 percent compared with 2017. This was planned and expected due to less availability of aircraft for charter flying in the first half of 2018. The decrease was partially offset by increased flying for the Department of Defense in the third quarter 2018.

Other revenue. Other revenue decreased $7.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 compared to 2017 primarily as six aircraft which generated lease revenue from a European carrier during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 were delivered to us in the first half of 2018. The effects of this decrease were slightly offset by increases in revenue from our golf course management solution as well as revenue generated from the leasing of spare RB-211 engines.

Operating Expenses
The following table presents operating expense per passenger for the indicated periods:
 Nine Months Ended September 30, Percent
 2018 2017 Change
Aircraft fuel$32.54
 $27.13
 19.9 %
Salary and benefits29.71
 30.03
 (1.1)
Station operations11.63
 11.69
 (0.5)
Maintenance and repairs7.22
 9.49
 (23.9)
Depreciation and amortization8.81
 10.03
 (12.2)
Sales and marketing5.16
 4.41
 17.0
Aircraft lease rentals0.07
 0.34
 (79.4)
Other7.13
 7.41
 (3.8)
Operating expense per passenger$102.27
 $100.53
 1.7 %
Operating expense per passenger, excluding fuel$69.73
 $73.40
 (5.0)%



The following table presents unit costs on a per ASM basis, defined as Operating CASM, for the indicated periods:
 Nine Months Ended September 30, Percent
 2018 2017 Change
Aircraft fuel
3.03¢ 
2.46¢ 23.2 %
Salary and benefits2.77
 2.72
 1.8
Station operations1.08
 1.06
 1.9
Maintenance and repairs0.67
 0.86
 (22.1)
Depreciation and amortization0.82
 0.91
 (9.9)
Sales and marketing0.48
 0.40
 20.0
Aircraft lease rentals0.01
 0.03
 (66.7)
Other0.66
 0.68
 (2.9)
CASM
9.52¢ 
9.12¢ 4.4 %
Operating CASM, excluding fuel6.49
 6.66
 (2.6)
Non-airline CASM*0.11
 0.07
 57.1
Operating CASM, excluding fuel and non-airline expenses
6.38¢ 
6.59¢ (3.2)%
*Operating cost per ASM for non-airline subsidiaries
Aircraft fuel expense. Aircraft fuel expense increased $91.5 million, or 36.5 percent, for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 compared to the same period in 2017 as the system average fuel cost per gallon increased by 30.3 percent, coupled with a 4.3 percent increase in system fuel gallons consumed on a 10.9 percent increase in system ASMs. ASM growth outpaced fuel consumption as fuel efficiency (measured as ASMs per gallon) increased 6.3 percent year over year, due to increased flying on our Airbus aircraft which are more fuel efficient than our MD-80 aircraft.
Salary and benefits expense. Salary and benefits expense increased $35.0 million, or 12.6 percent, for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 compared to the same period in 2017. The increase is largely attributable to a 3.5 percent increase in the number of full-time equivalent employees. Maintaining a larger number of flight crew personnel until the fleet transition is complete, as well as effects of the collective bargaining agreement with our flight attendants (which went into effect in December 2017) contributed to salary expense for our flight crew employees increasing by 19.0 percent compared to 2017.
Station operations expense. Station operations expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 increased 13.2 percent on a 10.8 percent increase in scheduled service departures compared to the same period in 2017. The increase in expense outpaced the increase in departures due to certain station incentives which expired incentivesduring the first quarter of 2018, coupled with rate increases for airport, landing and an increase in various supplementary station expenses.ground handling fees at our larger airports which tend to be more expensive.

Maintenance and repairs expense. Maintenance and repairs expense for the first quarternine months ended September 30, 2018 decreased $10.8$11.7 million, or 36.013.4 percent, compared towith the same period in 2017. The year-over-year decrease is largely due to nine fewer heavy maintenance events performed on our MD-80 series aircraft, whichas they are being systematically retired from our operating fleet. TheAdditionally, the cost of major maintenance events for our Airbus aircraft is deferred in accordance with the deferral method of accounting and the amortization of these expenses is included under depreciation and amortization expense.

Depreciation and amortization expense. Depreciation and amortization expense for the first quarternine months ended September 30, 2018 decreased $2.4 million, or 7.9 percent,remained flat year over year. The decrease is largely due toyear which resulted from an increase in Airbus depreciation, offset by the retirementelimination of our MD-80 aircraft. As a result of the

impairment charge takendepreciation on our MD-80 fleet due to the effect of the impairment charge in fourth quarter 2017, we no longer have2017. Our average number of operating aircraft increased 6.7 percent, with the increase attributable to the addition of Airbus aircraft, and this fleet type has a higher monthly depreciation expense. The total depreciation expense associated withfor this fleet type. Depreciation expense related to the MD-80 aircraft for the three months ended March 31, 2017 was $6.4 million.

This decrease in depreciation and amortization expense was partially offset by higher incremental monthly depreciation expense associated with our Airbus aircraft, as we continue to add Airbus aircraft into service. Depreciation expense related to the ownership of the Airbus A320 series aircraft was $18.2$61.0 million for the first quarternine months ended September 30, 2018 compared to $12.8$42.2 million for the same period in 2017. AmortizationAdditionally, amortization of major maintenance costs under the deferral method of accounting for the Airbus aircraft was $2.5$8.0 million for the first quarternine months ended September 30, 2018 compared to $1.3$4.6 million for 2017.

No depreciation expense is being recognized in the firstcurrent year for our MD-80 fleet as an impairment charge was taken in the fourth quarter 2017. Depreciation expense related to the MD-80 aircraft and Boeing 757-200 aircraft (retired in late 2017) for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 was $16.4 million and $4.3 million, respectively.


Sales and marketing expense. Sales and marketing expense for the first quarternine months ended September 30, 2018 increased $5.7$13.5 million compared to the same period in 2017, mostlypartly due to an increase in net credit card fees paid.paid as a result of a 12.3 percent increase in passenger revenue year over year. There were also year-over-year increased expenses related to various marketing initiatives for our growing network.initiatives.

Aircraft lease rentals expense. Aircraft lease rentals expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 decreased $2.3 million compared to the same period in 2017 due to improved operations which drove fewer sub-service flights in the current year. We do not currently have aircraft under operating leases.

Other expense. Other operating expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 increased $6.4 million compared to 2017. The increase is primarily due to information technology administration expenses, as well as other expenses incurred to support our airline operations, golf course management business and Sunseeker Resorts.

Non-airline expenses

Non-airline expenses are included in the various line items discussed above, as appropriate. The non-airline expenses include expenses from our Teesnap golf management business, expenses incurred to operate the Kingsway golf course since we acquired it in August 2018, operating expenses attributable to Sunseeker Resorts (most of the Sunseeker Resorts expenses are being capitalized at this time) and expenses incurred in connection with the pilot program of family entertainment centers currently in development.
Income Tax Expense

Our effective tax rate was 20.518.0 percent for the threenine months ended March 31,September 30, 2018, compared to 37.036.9 percent for the threenine months ended March 31,September 30, 2017. The effective tax rate for the threenine months ended March 31,September 30, 2018 differed from the statutory federal income tax rate of 21.0 percent primarily due to a one-time benefit of an income tax refund for tax deductions not previously claimed, and the tax benefit from dissolution of foreign subsidiaries, the effects of which were offset by state taxes. While we expect our tax rate to be fairly consistent in the near term, it will vary depending on recurring items such as the amount of income we earn in each state and the state tax rate applicable to such income. Discrete items during interim periods may also affect our tax rates.




Comparative Consolidated Operating Statistics

The following tables set forth our operating statistics for the periods indicated:

Three Months Ended March 31, PercentThree Months Ended September 30, Percent
2018 2017 Change (1)2018 2017 Change (1)
Operating statistics (unaudited):          
Total system statistics:          
Passengers3,302,951
 2,881,248
 14.6
3,503,849
 3,045,642
 15.0
Revenue passenger miles (RPMs) (thousands)3,094,805
 2,708,498
 14.3
3,037,540
 2,672,963
 13.6
Available seat miles (ASMs) (thousands)3,728,563
 3,376,837
 10.4
3,643,948
 3,220,246
 13.2
Load factor83.0% 80.2% 2.8
83.4% 83.0% 0.4
Operating expense per ASM (CASM) (cents)9.27
 9.07
 2.2
10.07
 9.50
 6.0
Fuel expense per ASM (cents)2.84
 2.51
 13.1
3.12
 2.50
 24.8
Operating CASM, excluding fuel (cents)6.43
 6.56
 (2.0)6.95
 7.00
 (0.7)
ASMs per gallon of fuel76.7
 72.1
 6.4
77.5
 72.6
 6.7
Departures24,248
 22,295
 8.8
25,601
 22,723
 12.7
Block hours57,803
 53,193
 8.7
56,329
 49,932
 12.8
Average stage length (miles)910
 903
 0.8
838
 842
 (0.5)
Average number of operating aircraft during period90.7
 84.7
 7.1
95.6
 89.7
 6.6
Average block hours per aircraft per day7.1
 7.0
 1.4
6.4
 6.1
 4.9
Full-time equivalent employees at end of period3,776
 3,536
 6.8
3,835
 3,704
 3.5
Fuel gallons consumed (thousands)48,640
 46,850
 3.8
47,016
 44,346
 6.0
Average fuel cost per gallon$2.18
 $1.81
 20.4
$2.41
 $1.81
 33.1
Scheduled service statistics:          
Passengers3,279,368
 2,845,480
 15.2
3,461,267
 2,998,476
 15.4
Revenue passenger miles (RPMs) (thousands)3,064,619
 2,661,934
 15.1
2,988,962
 2,618,446
 14.2
Available seat miles (ASMs) (thousands)3,602,015
 3,237,164
 11.3
3,485,800
 3,073,360
 13.4
Load factor85.1% 82.2% 2.9
85.7% 85.2% 0.5
Departures23,264
 21,248
 9.5
24,281
 21,498
 12.9
Block hours55,689
 50,876
 9.5
53,723
 47,481
 13.1
Total passenger revenue per ASM (TRASM) (cents) (2)11.30
 11.14
 1.4
10.64
 10.66
 (0.2)
Average fare - scheduled service (3)$73.81
 $75.42
 (2.1)$59.23
 $61.34
 (3.4)
Average fare - air-related charges (3)$47.18
 $46.82
 0.8
$43.36
 $43.81
 (1.0)
Average fare - third party products$3.15
 $4.48
 (29.7)$4.60
 $4.12
 11.7
Average fare - total$124.14
 $126.72
 (2.0)$107.19
 $109.27
 (1.9)
Average stage length (miles)916
 908
 0.9
845
 849
 (0.5)
Fuel gallons consumed (thousands)46,872
 44,892
 4.4
44,910
 42,193
 6.4
Average fuel cost per gallon$2.17
 $1.80
 20.6
$2.41
 $1.80
 33.9
Rental car days sold398,587
 375,711
 6.1
472,301
 338,212
 39.6
Hotel room nights sold108,984
 105,328
 3.5
95,690
 90,996
 5.2
Percent of sales through website during period93.8% 95.1% (1.3)93.7% 93.3% 0.4
(1) Except load factor and percent of sales through website during period, which are presented as a percentage point change.
(2) Various components of this measure do not have a direct correlation to ASMs. This measure is provided on a per ASM basis so as to facilitate comparison with airlines reporting revenues on a per ASM basis.
(3) Reflects division of passenger revenue between scheduled service and air-related charges in the Company's booking path.


 Nine Months Ended September 30, Percent
 2018 2017 Change (1)
Operating statistics (unaudited):     
Total system statistics:     
Passengers10,510,913
 9,233,083
 13.8
Revenue passenger miles (RPMs) (thousands)9,408,944
 8,340,269
 12.8
Available seat miles (ASMs) (thousands)11,294,805
 10,181,292
 10.9
Load factor83.3% 81.9% 1.4
Operating expense per ASM (CASM) (cents)9.52
 9.12
 4.4
Fuel expense per ASM (cents)3.03
 2.46
 23.2
Operating CASM, excluding fuel (cents)6.49
 6.66
 (2.6)
ASMs per gallon of fuel76.8
 72.2
 6.3
Departures76,912
 69,739
 10.3
Block hours174,838
 159,181
 9.8
Average stage length (miles)868
 870
 (0.2)
Average number of operating aircraft during period92.4
 86.6
 6.7
Average block hours per aircraft per day6.9
 6.7
 3.0
Full-time equivalent employees at end of period3,835
 3,704
 3.5
Fuel gallons consumed (thousands)147,172
 141,054
 4.3
Average fuel cost per gallon$2.32
 $1.78
 30.3
Scheduled service statistics:     
Passengers10,422,579
 9,110,745
 14.4
Revenue passenger miles (RPMs) (thousands)9,299,355
 8,183,636
 13.6
Available seat miles (ASMs) (thousands)10,883,630
 9,747,395
 11.7
Load factor85.4% 84.0% 1.4
Departures73,537
 66,355
 10.8
Block hours167,947
 151,988
 10.5
Total passenger revenue per ASM (TRASM) (cents) (2)11.04
 10.98
 0.5
Average fare - scheduled service (3)$65.72
 $68.04
 (3.4)
Average fare - air-related charges (3)$45.33
 $45.06
 0.6
Average fare - third party products$4.23
 $4.32
 (2.1)
Average fare - total$115.28
 $117.42
 (1.8)
Average stage length (miles)874
 875
 (0.1)
Fuel gallons consumed (thousands)141,452
 134,906
 4.9
Average fuel cost per gallon$2.31
 $1.76
 31.3
Rental car days sold1,408,357
 1,104,933
 27.5
Hotel room nights sold313,360
 304,234
 3.0
Percent of sales through website during period93.8% 94.1% (0.3)
(1) Except load factor and percent of sales through website during period, which are presented as a percentage point change.
(2) Various components of this measure do not have a direct correlation to ASMs. This measure is provided on a per ASM basis so as to facilitate comparison with airlines reporting revenues on a per ASM basis.
(3) Reflects division of passenger revenue between scheduled service and air-related charges in the Company's booking path.


LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Current liquidity

Cash, restricted cash and investment securities (short-term and long-term) decreasedremained relatively flat from $501.9 million at December 31, 2017 to $490.1September 30, 2018, at $501.9 million at March 31, 2018.and $499.0 million, respectively. Restricted cash represents escrowed funds under fixed fee contracts and cash collateral against letters of credit required by hotel properties for guaranteed room availability, airports and certain other parties. Under our fixed fee flying contracts, we require our customers to prepay for flights to be provided by us. The prepayments are escrowed until the flight is completed and are recorded as restricted cash with a corresponding amount reflected as air traffic liability. Investment securities represent highly liquid marketable securities which are available-for-sale.

During the first threenine months of 2018, our primary source of funds was $172.9$290.1 million generated by operations. Our operating cash flows and previouslong-term debt borrowings have allowed us to invest in our fleet transition and return capital to shareholders. Our future capital needs are primarily for the acquisition of additional aircraft, including our existing Airbus A320 series aircraft commitments, as well as potentialplanned capital outlay related to Sunseeker Resorts as well asand other travel and leisure initiatives. Of the 26 aircraft expected to be placed into service during the remainder of 2018, 13 are structured as capital leases and will not require separate financing, and 10 have already been paid for (representing the aircraft already returned or being returned from lease to a European carrier).

We believe we have more than adequate liquidity resources through our operating cash flows, borrowings, and cash balances, to meet our future contractual obligations. In addition, we continue to consider raising funds through debt financing on an opportunistic basis. We plan to refinance our $450.0 million of unsecured notes in advance of their maturities in July 2019.

In addition to our recurring quarterly cash dividend, we plan to continue repurchasing our stock in the open market subject to availability of cash resources and compliance with our debt covenants. Our current share repurchase authority is $100 million. There is no expiration to this program.

Debt

Our long-term debt and capital lease obligations balance, without reduction for related issuance costs, decreasedincreased from $1,171.0 million$1.2 billion as of December 31, 2017 to $1,068.1 million$1.3 billion as of March 31,September 30, 2018 as we paid off our seniorborrowed additional funds secured revolving credit facility and continuedby aircraft, while making scheduled repayments on our existing debt. During the firstthird quarter of 2018, we did not enter into any new debt agreements.borrowed $134.0 million secured by aircraft and $46.9 million against our senior secured revolving credit facility.

Sources and Uses of Cash

Operating Activities. During the threenine months ended March 31,September 30, 2018, our operating activities provided $172.9$290.1 million of cash compared to $146.6$302.1 million during the same period of 2017. The year-over-year increasedecrease in cash inflows is the result ofresulted from adjustments made for non-cash items such as deferred income taxes ($43.0 million lower in 2018) which more than offset a $12.8$5.6 million increase in net income as well as changes in various asset and liability accounts, including a $24.8 million year-over-year increase in accrued liabilities.income.

Operating cash inflows are primarily derived from providing air transportation and related ancillary products and services to customers, and we expect to use that cash flow to purchase aircraft and equipment, make scheduled debt payments, invest in Sunseeker Resort - Charlotte Harbor and other travel and leisure initiatives, and return capital to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends. 

Investing Activities. Cash used in investing activities was $65.4$187.1 million during the threenine months ended March 31,September 30, 2018 compared to $125.4$366.3 million for the same period in 2017. The year-over-year decrease is mostly due to investment security activity, as cash proceeds from maturities of investment securities (net of purchases) were $3.3$92.3 million in the first threenine months of 2018 compared to cash used to purchase investment securities (net of proceeds) of $67.2$33.9 million for the same period in 2017. Cash used to purchase property and equipment was $69.2$274.0 million for the first threenine months of 2018 compared to $58.5$333.7 million in the same period of 2017.

Financing Activities. Cash used in financing activities for the threenine months ended March 31,September 30, 2018 was $115.1$12.6 million compared to $21.5while cash provided by financing activities was $79.2 million for the same period in 2017. TheThis year-over-year increasefluctuation is primarily due to an increase in principal payments on long-term debt and capital lease obligations in the current year, as we paid $102.9$171.4 million in debt and capital lease payments induring the first quarternine months ended September 30, 2018 compared to $26.4$88.0 million for the same period in 2017. Our debt payments in the first quarterthree quarters of 2018 also included various scheduled balloon payments, as well as the payoff of our senior secured revolving credit facility, which had $41.6 million in outstanding principal as of December 31, 2017.payments. Additionally, we did not receive any funds from issuance of new debt during the first quarter 2018, whereas we received $22.0$191.7 million in loan proceeds during the nine months ended September 30, 2018, compared to $292.5 million for the same period in 2017. For the three

nine months ended March 31,September 30, 2018, we repurchased $2.2 million of common stock and paid cash dividends of $11.3$33.9 million, compared to the repurchase of $4.9$34.5 million in 2017, in addition to $86.2 million in open market common stock and payment of cash dividends of $11.7 million for the same period in 2017.repurchases.


CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

We have made forward-looking statements in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q, and in the section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” that are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions, and on information currently available to our management. Forward-looking statements include information concerning our possible or assumed future results of operations, business strategies, fleet plan, financing plans, competitive position, industry environment, potential growth opportunities, future service to be provided, the effects of future regulation and competition, and the development of a resort in Southwest Florida. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts and can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as the words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate,” “project” or similar expressions.

Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Important risk factors that could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements may be found in our periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov. These risk factors include, without limitation, an accident involving or problems with our aircraft, public perception of our safety, our reliance on automation systems, limitation on growth as we transition to a single fleet type, our reliance on third parties to deliver aircraft under contract to us on a timely basis, risk of breach of security of personal data, volatility of fuel costs, labor issues and costs, the ability to obtain regulatory approvals as needed, the effect of economic conditions on leisure travel, debt covenants and balances, the ability to finance aircraft under contract, terrorist attacks, risks inherent to airlines, the competitive environment, our reliance on third parties who provide facilities or services to us, the possible loss of key personnel, economic and other conditions in markets in which we operate, the ability to successfully develop a resort in Southwest Florida, the continued successful operation of the airline to generate cash flow for use to develop Sunseeker Resort - Charlotte Harbor, governmental regulation, increases in maintenance costs and cyclical and seasonal fluctuations to our operating results. 

Any forward-looking statements are based on information available to us today and we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of future events, new information or otherwise.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES

InExcept as discussed below relating to the firstNew Revenue Standard, in the third quarter of 2018, there were no changes to our critical accounting policies and estimates from those disclosed in the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes contained in our 2017 Form 10-K, except as discussed below relating to the New Revenue Standard.10-K.

Effective January 1, 2018, we adopted the New Revenue Standard using the full retrospective method, which resulted in the recast of the 2017 prior period data presented. Under this ASU and subsequently issued amendments, revenue is recognized at the time a good or service is transferred to a customer for the amount of consideration received.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

We are subject to certain market risks, including commodity prices (specifically aircraft fuel). The adverse effects of changes in these markets could pose potential losses as discussed below. The sensitivity analysis provided does not consider the effects that such adverse changes may have on overall economic activity, nor does it consider additional actions we may take to mitigate our exposure to such changes. Actual results may differ.

Aircraft Fuel

Our results of operations can be significantly impacted by changes in the price and availability of aircraft fuel, as aircraft fuel expense represented 30.731.8 percent of our operating expenses for the threenine months ended March 31,September 30, 2018. Increases in fuel prices, or a shortage of supply, could have a material impact on our operations and operating results. Based on our fuel consumption for the three and nine months ended March 31,September 30, 2018, a hypothetical ten percent increase in the average price per gallon of fuel would have increased fuel expense by approximately $10.7 million.$11.1 million and $33.3 million, respectively. We have not hedged fuel price risk for many years.

Interest Rates

We have market risk associated with changing interest rates due to the short-term nature of our cash and investment securities and variable-rate debt. We invest available cash in government and corporate debt securities, investment grade commercial

paper, and other highly rated financial instruments. Because of the short-term nature of these investments, the returns earned closely parallel short-term floating interest rates. A hypothetical 100 basis point change in interest rates for the three months ended March 31, 2018 would have impacted interest income from cash and investment securities by approximately $1.2 million.

As of March 31,September 30, 2018, we had a total of $601.4$673.2 million in variable-rate debt, including current maturities and without reduction for related costs. A hypothetical 100 basis point change in market interest rates for the threenine months ended March 31,September 30, 2018, would have affected interest expense by approximately $1.6$5.2 million.

As of March 31,September 30, 2018, we had $466.7$520.3 million of fixed-rate debt, including current maturities and without reduction for related costs, which had a fair value of $474.0 million.costs. A hypothetical 100 basis point change in market interest rates would not impact interest expense or have a material effect on the fair value of our fixed-ratefixed rate debt instruments as of such date.

See Item 7A "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, for further information about market risk.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

As of March 31,September 30, 2018, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our chief executive officer (“CEO”("CEO") and chief financial officer (“CFO”), we evaluated the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the “Exchange Act.”Act”) as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on thisthat evaluation, management, including our managementCEO and CFO, has concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are designed, and are effective, to give reasonable assurance that the information we are required to disclose is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Based upon this evaluation, management concluded that our disclosure controlsforms and procedures are effective in providing reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed with the SEC under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including the CEO and the CFO, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ending March 31,September 30, 2018, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Effective January 1, 2018, we adopted Accounting Standards Codification 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers”.Customers.” Although the new revenue standardNew Revenue Standard is not expected to have a material impact on our ongoing net income, changes were made to relevant business processes and the related control activities, including information systems, in order to monitor and maintain appropriate controls over financial reporting. The operating effectiveness of these changes will be evaluated as part of our annual assessment ofon the effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting.

 PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

We are subject to certain legal and administrative actions we consider routine to our business activities. We believe the ultimate outcome of any pending legal or administrative matters will not have a material adverse impact on our financial position, liquidity or results of operations.

Item 1A.  Risk Factors

We have evaluated our risk factors and determined there are nothe following changes to the risk factorsthose set forth in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K.

If we finance the construction of Sunseeker Resort - Charlotte Harbor without the incurrence of debt at the subsidiary level, our balance sheet will be weakened if the airline does not generate sufficient cash flow for this purpose or if there are cost overruns.

We have announced we may finance the construction of Sunseeker Resort - Charlotte Harbor on our balance sheet without the incurrence of debt at the subsidiary level. To accomplish this, we will be using our cash balances and cash flow expected to be generated by our airline operations. Our balance sheet will be weakened if the airline does not produce sufficient cash flow for this purpose or if there are cost overruns. We have hired experienced construction management to mitigate the risk of cost overruns. In addition, we have indicated we would consider financing at the subsidiary level during or after construction. If we decide to secure debt at the subsidiary level, these cash flow and balance sheet risks will be mitigated to the extent of any financing funded.  


Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

Our Repurchases of Equity Securities

The following table reflects the repurchases of our common stock during the firstthird quarter 2018:

Period Total Number of Shares Purchased (1) Average Price Paid per Share Total Number of
Shares Purchased as Part of our Publicly
Announced Plan
 Approximate Dollar Value of Shares that
May Yet be Purchased
Under the Plans or
Programs (in thousands) (2)
January 177
 $161.45
 None  
February 9,741
 167.96
 None  
March 3,269
 174.30
 None  
Total 13,187
 $169.45
   $100,000
Period Total Number of Shares Purchased (1) Average Price Paid per Share Total Number of
Shares Purchased as Part of our Publicly
Announced Plan
 Approximate Dollar Value of Shares that
May Yet be Purchased
Under the Plans or
Programs (in thousands) (2)
July 783
 $130.30
 None  
August 
 
 None  
September 3,935
 132.55
 None  
Total 4,718
 $132.18
   $100,000
(1) Includes shares repurchased from employees who vested a portion of their restricted stock grants. These share repurchases were made at the election of each employee pursuant to an offer to repurchase by us. In each case, the shares repurchased constituted the portion of vested shares necessary to satisfy income tax withholding requirements.
(1)Includes shares repurchased from employees who vested a portion of their restricted stock grants. These share repurchases were made at the election of each employee pursuant to an offer to repurchase by us. In each case, the shares repurchased constituted the portion of vested shares necessary to satisfy income tax withholding requirements.
(2)(2) Represents the remaining dollar amount of open market purchases of our common stock which has been authorized by the Board under a share repurchase program.

Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities

None

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable

Item 5. Other Information

None


Item 6. Exhibits
101.INSXBRL Instance Document
101.SCHXBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CALXBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEFXBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LABXBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase Document
101.PREXBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

(1) Incorporated by reference to Exhibit filed with Registration Statement #333-134145 filed by the Company with the Commission and amendments thereto.
(1)Incorporated by reference to Exhibit filed with Registration Statement #333-134145 filed by the Company with the Commission and amendments thereto.
(2)(2) Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on April 25, 2018.



SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

  ALLEGIANT TRAVEL COMPANY
   
   
Date:May 8,October 31, 2018By:/s/ Scott Sheldon
  Scott Sheldon, as duly authorized officer of the Company (Chief Financial Officer) and as Principal Financial Officer

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